OT: Brady's full 4-game suspension upheld by NFL

[TasteofUConn]

Precisely. It's my opinion, and just my opinion, that Goodell and others in the league office hired Wells with the explicit instructions to produce a report showing that the Patriots tampered with the footballs.

Not. Even. Necessary.
Wells did millions of dollars worth of work for the NFL prior to the unscientific garbage he produced for the deflated footballs. He knew that he was being paid to write a hit piece before his phone even rang, and he knew the real target was Brady, not the ball boys.
The newly fabricated standard of "more probable than not" that the player was "generally aware" is a standard that is so low and so loose that it rises just above "we kinda think you did it" on the BS scale. Every player in the NFL union should be supporting this appeal, because "more probable than not" that a player is "generally aware" of anything based on garbage science hit pieces promulgated by paid shills is a punitively low standard.

 

[ocoandasoc]

Ya gotta love Pats fans.
But, I guess if O.J. was innocent it's possible that Brady is too.

 

[Wally East]

Ya gotta love Pats fans.

I don't know about others but I'm not a Pats fan. I grew up as a 49ers fan (even though I lived in CT). I don't dislike the Pats but I am by no means a fan.

So. How do you know he "cheated for the entire season, not just one game"?

 

[toadfoot]

Ahem.

For several posters in this thread: correct placement of the apostrophe.

When referring to the footballs of either team. use Colts' footballs or Patriots' footballs (apostrophe after the "s") to indicate team possession of the balls.

To write Patriot's or Colt's footballs (apostrophe before the "s") implies possession of balls by only one player.

Apostrophes need to be placed with care (e.g., "the UConn Huskies' championships" or "a UConn Husky's MVP award").

You're probably going to think I'm being snarky, but I actually do appreciate the correction. I suspect that sometime long ago in 6th grade I knew that the plural possessive should be Patriots', but that was a lounge time ago;-)

 

[toadfoot]

Brady and the Pats cheated for the entire season, not just one game. Some of those games were close, and the deflated balls could have made the difference. A couple more losses and the playoff seeding is different, and maybe the Pats don't get to the Super Bowl.
They cheated (again!), they got caught, they need to be punished.
I would have taken their Super Bowl victory away from them.
If Brady had taken responsibility like a man, and apologized (even if insincerely), he probably would have gotten a two-game suspension. But his arrogance and lack of remorse cost him two additional games.

When you make statements that are categorically false and without any basis in fact you lose what little credibility you may have had. And repeating it multiple times just isn't going to make it true. If you have any evidence that they cheated even once I'm sure the league office would love to see it. In fact, so would the rest of us. I eagerly await your presentation.

 

[toadfoot]

Ya gotta love Pats fans.
But, I guess if O.J. was innocent it's possible that Brady is too.

O. J. was found not guilty. Huge difference between being found not guilty and being innocent.

 

[Kibitzer]

Sorry, friends, but I don't do links, BUT. . .

If I could, I would access a very recent column by Dan Shaugnessy in The Boston Globe, in which he very surprisingly makes the case for Brady's guilt. I say surprisingly because he will surely be castigated (I hope I used the polite verb ) by that paper's readership, mostly rabid Pats' fans.

I remain uncertain about this entire episode. I have little respect for Goodell as commissioner or Shaugnessy as a journalist but both seem to be putting their careers on the line. Can they both envy or despise Kraft, Brady or the Patriots that much?

Anyhow, Dan gives us lots of food for thought and readers may or may not find it to be digestible.

Check it out.

 

[Wally East]

Sorry, friends, but I don't do links, BUT. . .

If I could, I would access a very recent column by Dan Shaugnessy

That's where I stopped reading (figuratively, not literally). Shaughnessy is the worst. So often, his columns were just so poorly reasoned. I literally haven't read him in over a decade but I'm betting it's a safe assumption he's only gotten worse, not better.

But, I read this column. Here is the link.

He has gotten worse. This column has nothing but hectoring Patriots fans to agree that Brady is guilty because the NFL says the Brady is guilty. That's it. That's the whole column.

More interesting, are the emails from February between the NFL and the Patriots where the Patriots ask the NFL to correct the incorrect initial report about 11 of 12 balls being deflated. The NFL refused because ... something something reasons.

 

[pinotbear]

Ya gotta love Pats fans.
But, I guess if O.J. was innocent it's possible that Brady is too.

Nice touch, equating the bloody slaughter of two people with the slight loss of air pressure in some footballs.

 

[Uhuru]

O. J. was found not guilty. Huge difference between being found not guilty and being innocent.

Why all this hoopla about deflate-gate? It's not like a Patriot killed someone or several people in separate incidents.

Oh, wait...

 

[Paul1969]

Sorry, friends, but I don't do links, BUT. . .

If I could, I would access a very recent column by Dan Shaugnessy in The Boston Globe, in which he very surprisingly makes the case for Brady's guilt. I say surprisingly because he will surely be castigated (I hope I used the polite verb ) by that paper's readership, mostly rabid Pats' fans.

I remain uncertain about this entire episode. I have little respect for Goodell as commissioner or Shaugnessy as a journalist but both seem to be putting their careers on the line. Can they both envy or despise Kraft, Brady or the Patriots that much?

Anyhow, Dan gives us lots of food for thought and readers may or may not find it to be digestible.

Check it out.

NO PROOF !!! NONE

 

[Husky25]

Everyone knows what role Dan Shaugnessy plays in Boston. It is not surprising at all that he has a negative take at all vs. Brady and he will not be castigated. He's playing a part a everyone who reads him knows it all too well.

 

[UConnCat]

Interesting column by Sally Jenkins:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...da3b02-3666-11e5-9d0f-7865a67390ee_story.html

 

[Kibitzer]

The NFL owners should have listened to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011 when they considered, then voted overwhelmingly (only the Steelers dissenting) to approve the CBA.

And what did the Steelers object to?

They opposed the unilateral authority to be granted to Commissioner Roger Goodell when handling disciplinary problems.

Ryan Clark was the Steeler player rep for the NFLPA and he argued in vain.

The Steelers have had three coaches in 47 years (and just signed Tomlin to an extension). The Rooney family has owned and run the franchise since the birth of the NFL. They have more Super Bowl victories than anybody. By comparison, all the other owners are Johnny-come-latelys. Other owners should have respectfully listened to their wise counsel in 2011.

Well, they didn't and now you can bet your best inflated NFL football that they regret it. Especially Bob Kraft.

 

[Kibitzer]

I got belatedly interested in "Deflategate" and a little research led me to the importance of an explosive - and false - report on ESPN by Chris Mortensen, apparently planted by Mike Kensil, an NFL VP. The gist of this report was to the effect that the Patriots deflated 11 of 12 footballs. This shameful manipulation of ESPN started the whole kerfuffle.

Mortensen's falsehoods were soon reinforced by Steven Smith on ESPN as he dropped the "Brady destroyed his cellphone" bomb, citing unnamed NFL sources.

Mort recently canceled a much-ballyhooed appearance for an interview on Boston sports station, WEEI. No wonder.

A separate thought. It is remotely possible that Brady's four game suspension may be delayed. If so, the Pats could lose their star QB during crucial December games. Just sayin'.

 

[Kibitzer]

More interesting, are the emails from February between the NFL and the Patriots where the Patriots ask the NFL to correct the incorrect initial report about 11 of 12 balls being deflated. The NFL refused because ... something something reasons.

There are persuasive indications that the source for the false information broadcast or published by ESPN was Mike Kensil, NFL VP for Game Operations and that he used ESPN "Insider" Chris Mortensen as his conduit to the general public.

It was Mortensen's "report," citing unnamed sources, that gave ESPN a big scoop and triggered "Deflategate." Steven Smith was next to be used by someone in the NFL who fed him the "Brady has destroyed his cell phone" bomb.

Years ago, Kensil was the VP of the NY Jets at that bizarre time when Belichek was the Head Coach of the Jets for one day! When he resigned to go to be the Patriots' Head Coach, Kensil reportedly went ballistic over what he perceived to be an act of betrayal by Belichek.

OK, boys and girls, now connect the dots.

 

[toadfoot]

Another dot...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-by-role-of-wells-colleague-at-brady-hearing/

It's a short article so I recommend reading it, but two keys points emerge.

1. Lorin Reisner, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkin, Wharton & Garrison, the law firm hired to do the "independent" investigation, participated as counsel for the NFL and conducted the majority of examinations at Brady's appeal hearing.
2. Notes of interviews conducted by Wells and his investigators were never given to the NFLPA or Brady's lawyers. NFL outside counsel Gregg Levy, who served as the Commissioner’s legal adviser at the Brady appeal hearing, said, "the substance of the interviews was reflected in the Wells report".

How can an investigation be neutral if only one side sees the interview transcripts?

As I've maintained all along, the Wells Report was never intended to be an impartial investigation. It's sole purpose was to make a case for guilt regardless of the evidence.